"Master Fu? Are you here?"

Just as Tikki asked, Marinette rushed to Master Fu's home as soon as she could. With the sudden appearance of the bull superhero and his miraculous, Tikki insisted that Fu needed to be informed ASAP, and in turn, she could learn about the new miraculous. But, Wang Fu was by no means an oblivious old man, as he was practically waiting for Marinette to arrive.

"Marinette, is what I heard true? Has the bull miraculous appeared?" Master Fu asked.

The fact that Master Fu had already known about the bull miraculous came as a big surprise to Marinette, but what really startled her was his tone of his voice. "What? H-how did you...?"

"The internet. You kids post things so fast nowadays. Just...look!" Master Fu said as he walked over to his laptop, which had a video on pause. After he pushed a button, it began to refresh. "Look at what I just found."

"Radiant...carefree...dreamy..."

"NO! Not that ad again! UGH!" Fu shouted as he looked ready to smash his laptop into a pieces

Luckily, before Fu could get that angry, his own trusted kwami, Wayzz, did what he could to calm him down. "Master, the ad is skippable. Just take a deep breath and try to relax."

Marinette was by scared by how stressed Master Fu was. She's seen him upset about losing the butterfly and peacock miraculous, but it was always out of sadness because he wasn't able to save them. The frustration she sensed from Master Fu made it clear that something else entirely happened with the bull miraculous.

After a few seconds, the ad ended, and the video begun to play. "Hello Paris. Alya here and boy do we have a story here on the on the Ladyblog. There was just a bank robbery here at the Bank of France, but thanks to Ladybug and Cat Noir, our allowances are untouched. But after a quick interview, I've learned that they may have some new back up."

Marinette was immediately annoyed by how quickly Cat Noir had spread the word. "Damn it, I told him not to do anymore interviews alone."

"While Ladybug sadly wasn't with Cat Noir when I found him, he told me that we have the new superhero, Taurus Red, to thank for catching a dangerous man that escaped. Some generous witness have even shared with me photos they took of our new local friend. One even recorded him stopping the criminal's getaway."

"It is without question." Master Fu said as he paused the video. "The armor he wore and the way he stopped that truck...that was the miraculous of resolution. The power that can make anyone who uses it an unstoppable force. We need to get it back."

"But the man who's using it might have saved lives when he appeared." Marinette argued as she gave the new hero the benefit of the doubt. "Sure, he's a bit...rough...but I'm sure if we talked to him-"

"The man using the miraculous isn't who I'm worried about!" Fu snapped. "It's Kuumo who could be dangerous!"

That time, Fu's anger didn't just frighten Marinette, but Tikki and Wayzz as well. The kwami's at least understood why he was upset, but to see him direct his frustration at one of his closest allies was something they never thought they'd ever see. Once more, Master Fu tried to calm himself with a deep breath after he realized he was scaring his friends.

"I'm sorry. This is something that has lingered at the back of my mind for a long time now, and I'm not sure if I made yet another mistake all of those years ago. Truth be told, me and Kuumo didn't leave on good terms."

"So, you just miss an old friend you had an argument with?" Marinette asked, still someone startled from what she saw moments before.

"Sort of. You see, back when I was still young, after the-"

THUD!

Just then, a loud quake was heard from outside, catching everyone by surprise, sounding as if anvil had been dropped from the sky. During the brief period of silence that followed, they all remained silent to listen to what might've been out there, and from there, they faintly heard footsteps in the distance.

"Wait here." Master Fu ordered.

Taking a peak out the window, Master Fu got a good look at the source of the crash. Much to his surprise, it was the bull hero, the one Alya called Taurus Red, who was walking around and looking at the street signs. It became clear that he was looking for Fu's shop.

"Marinette, you and Tikki need to hide. I'm going to invite him in."

Marinette didn't entirely agree with what Master Fu wanted to do, but because Taurus Red was just outside, there was no time to argue, so she and Tikki rushed to the back door and hid on the other side. Rather than closing it all the way though, she left a crack open so she and Tikki could watch and listen to what would happen next. Tikki probably would've scolded her for spying, but she wanted to watch what would happen too.

Once Marinette left the room, Master Fu opened the glass doors and took a step outside to greet his guest. Once Taurus Red saw Fu step outside, he began to walk over to meet him.

Taurus Red was the one who spoke up first. "Excuse me sir, but I'm looking for a man name Wang Fu. Do you know of him?

"Right this way, young man." Fu answered.

Marinette, Tikki, and even Wayzz all felt nervous as they watched Taurus Red walk in since there was no telling what he would do once the doors closed. The kwamis were merely fearing the unknown, but Marinette got a front row view of the brutality he was willing to inflict. She agreed to stay hidden, but kept alert in case something went wrong.

When Taurus Red raised his fist upward, Marinette feared that he was preparing an attack. She wanted to respond immediately, but by Fu's request, she forced herself to stand down and give the guest a chance and not assume anything.

"Kuumo, cease charging

Upon his command, the armour Taurus Red wore quickly began to vanish into the miraculous, a yellow, horn-shaped gem sewn into a red wristband, worn on Taurus Red's right arm. Once the armour was gone, Marinette was shocked to see that the large-built hero was in fact a skinny young man. He was still taller than she was, but the size of the armour really showed.

Once the young man took a seat on a pillow on the ground, Marinette got a quick look at his face. His outfit was very plain, wearing blue jeans and a gray hoodie, something that really didn't stand out much. His face was a bit more memorable though, with short, black, messy hair as if he didn't even try to brush it. From the colour of his skin, she assumed the young man was Japanese, as he reminded her of another Japanese friend, Kagami.

After the young man took his seat, his kwami finally made it's appearance, flying out of the wristband and appeared before Master Fu, who was sitting across from both of them. The red, yellow horned bull kwami, which looked almost as it was a cute little devil, had returned.

"Kuumo, it's been so long." Master Fu said as he greeted the kwami with a small bow.

"Hello, Fu." Kuumo answered with a greeting that wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as Master Fu's. "But by the quantic universe, how are you not dead yet?"

"Hey now, I'm turning 189. I'm only just getting old." Fu said with a chuckle. This was followed by a disappointed sigh as Kuumo didn't so much as smirked at his little joke. Master Fu tried his best to lighten the mood, but it didn't work. "So how were you able to find me? We never did stay in touch."

"I made sure I paid as close attention to the media, and during my little journey, I learned about the appearance of the villain Hawkmoth, who was clearly using Nooroo's powers. And with Tikki and Plagg's powers being made famous as well, I assumed you, or at least a descendant, would be here in Paris as well. As for how I found your place, we looked up your some of your alias's that I still remembered in a phonebook."

In the next room, Marinette cursed Cat Noir's name under her breath as Tikki tried to cover her mouth, so neither of them would be heard. Luckily, neither Kuumo or his holder was looking at the door she was hiding behind.

"I'm just glad to finally see you return." Wayzz said, who tried to keep the same optimism Fu tried to have. "The others have been worried as you haven't visited our box in such a long time. Stompp in particular has missed you dearly."

For a brief moment, Kuumo sounded almost happy. "Yes, I do miss my fellow cattle kwami, though I certainly miss all of their company. However, I especially miss my best friend...Nooroo."

At that moment, Marinette took notice at how different Kuumo was from the other kwamis, as well as the stark contrasts between him and his miraculous holder. The human came off as a intimidating looking man, even without the hero armour, and yet, ever since he first spoke with Master Fu, he had been very polite and respectful, as he had not said a single word since he undid his transformation.

On the other hand, Kuumo, despite his appearance making him look like a tiny devil, was just as cute as any other kwami, complete with a high-pitched voice. And yet, she felt a severe hatred and bitterness that she had only ever seen from akumatized victims. He was a kwami unlike any she ever met. One that was not a friend by default.

"I'll cut straight to the chase." Kuumo said as he started floating around in the room. "My travels only confirmed what I initially believed. Your kind has no right to wield our powers."

"And by his kind, you mean...?" Wayzz asked.

Kuumo was briefly disgusted by Wayzz for making him answer. "Humans!"

And with that one word, both Marinette and Tikki felt sick to their stomachs. The aura the bull kwami had was a distinct hatred for humanity, which made Marinette completely forget about his cuteness. Tikki felt obligated to whisper to Marinette. "I didn't know he felt that way."

"For thousands of years, humanity has been using our powers for the 'greater good', yet they seemed to have degenerated over the years. Fighting wars for petty reasons, enslaving themselves like animals, why I even recently learned that humans found ways to profit off of the Black Death back when it happened."

Wayzz decided to play the devil's advocate. "To be fair, Toxx was the one responsible for that plague all on her own."

"My point exactly! That's one prime example of how our powers killed so many humans, and yet years later, none of you think that maybe, just maybe, you mortals shouldn't be using our powers."

Both Master Fu and Wayzz did what they could to try and talk sense into Kuumo, but he at least made some fair points for why he would as upset as he was, since neither of them were able to deny his claims. Even Marinette started to sympathize with Kuumo to a degree. It made her wonder what the poor kwami had gone through to make him resent humans so much.

"This feels like the last conversation we had all those years ago." Master Fu said. "I fear I now know why you really came here."

Kuumo chuckled, since Master Fu made a corrected assumption. "At least you're learning, Fu. I hope."

From that point on, everything that Fu and Kuumo would discuss was something that had only been between the two of them. Neither Tikki nor Wayzz fully knew what happened between Fu and Kuumo, so they would be in the same boat as Marinette when they listened to what the bull kwami had to say.

"After hearing how little process your chosen, Ladybug and Cat Noir, have made with rescuing Nooroo and Desuu, I thought I'd return to once again offer my suggestion for rescuing them. One that will secure their freedom, so as they never suffer another 150 years of isolation and captivity."

Master Fu slammed his hands on the floor with rage. "I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!" This sudden outrage from Fu even made Wayzz back off in shock. After getting a glance at the scared turtle kwami, Master Fu immediately regretted the way he snapped at Kuumo. He was only able to imagine how Marinette and Tikki took it.

"He has the right to fear you." Kuumo said, being the only one to have any composer. "Because of him, it is ultimately you humans who gets to decide what we can and can't do. It's this curse that prevents Nooroo and Desuu from simply returning to us. The fact that Fu gave me that luxury is nothing but a miracle. We are otherwise slaves to your kind!"

As Kuumo continued on with his ranting, Master Fu's patience diminish more and more. He wanted to say something along the lines of 'I regret giving you that freedom', but he knew that would've done nothing but prove Kuumo's point, as well as frighten Wayzz, Tikki, and Marinette even more.

"You've only confirmed it, Wang Fu." Kuumo said. "We can no longer trust Ladybug and Cat Noir with the only two of us that can actually save our friends. We need their power, and your snot-nosed brats are no more trustworthy than even Hawkmoth."

"YOU SON OF A-"

Unable to contain herself, Tikki, in an ironic twist, blew her cover and flew straight at Kuumo, pounding her stubby arms into his chest in a fit of rage. Tikki was always the one that would act the voice of reason for Marinette, so to see her attack Kuumo was something not even the other kwamis had ever seen.

"MY MIRACULOUS OWNER IS THE MOST TRUSTED FRIEND I'VE EVER HAD! WE ALL MISS NOOROO AND DESUU GREATLY AND WE'RE TRYING OUR BEST! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE'VE HAD TO GO THROUGH ALL THIS TIME!"

Tikki's outrage came to as a much bigger surprise to Kuumo than the simple fact that Tikki appeared out of nowhere in the first place. After taking a moment, he realized the simple fact that Tikki was right in front of him. "Tikki...than that means that Ladybug..."

While the cover was blown, Marinette still slammed the door shut to keep herself hidden so her identity couldn't be revealed. Still, Kuumo's miraculous holder figured out that Ladybug was in the building as well and quickly stood up to prepare for a fight."

"Kuumo, charge-"

But before he could actually transformed, Kuumo flew up and raised his arm up, signaling his holder not to transform. The young man seemed confused at first, but he nonetheless followed Kuumo's orders and sat back down without any objections.

"If Ladybug was as smart as Ken here and knew her place, maybe I would've given her another chance." Kuumo admitted. "But Tikki, you should know that we can end our problem right now if we cut the middle man and save our friends using only our own powers. All we need is you...and Plagg."

This was something Marinette did at least understand well. It's been said that when one combines the powers of the miraculous of creation and destruction, ultimate power manifests in the form of a single wish, granting a person anything they desire. However. there's a catch to it, for making such a wish would require a sacrifice in responds. If Kuumo's plan was to wish for Nooroo and Desuu's freedom, it would likely mean losing two more kwamis. Even if that wasn't the actual wish, Marinette agreed that a wish like that would be a mistake.

"That's a terrible idea." Tikki said. "Don't you know the risks of using our powers like that?"

"Tikki, Tikki, Tikki..." Kuumo said with disappointment. "I fear these humans have made you miss the big picture. We've had the power to save our friends all this time, but it's a chance we only have one of. And the only reason we don't take it is because of these tool throwing monkeys."

Everything that Kuumo was saying was disturbing to Tikki, especially since he had the nerve to insult all of humanity directly in front of her own human partner, one whom he cares deeply for. What made her more confused than angry though was the simple fact that Kuumo's partner continued to listen in without making so much as a disgruntled cough.

Tikki turned to Master Fu, hoping he would've spoken up to Kuumo's comment. But he stayed as silent and Kuumo's partner, thinking about his past actions and how the bull kwami had turned out. He felt as if he could no longer contribute to the conversation.

After getting angry again, Tikki spoke up. "I know you've seen a lot of bad people out there, and so have I. Even I've had owners I wish never got a hold of me." She then turned to the door Marinette was hiding, and in that moment, she calmed down. "But the current Ladybug? I would gladly put my life on the line for her."

That was a strong choice of words for a kwami, one who has lived for countless eons, to make. To show that level of trust to Marinette was something that she'll always remember. Sadly, Kuumo wasn't quite as impressed.

"Where was your life when Nooroo needed it, Tikki?"

The moment of love and trust that Tikki created was brutally crushed in an instant, replaced with a long silence where no one was comfortable. For as much as Tikki has cared for Marinette, Kuumo made her feel as though she had turned back on the kwamis in Hawkmoth's possession. She tried to think of how to answer the question...but she couldn't.

As Tikki began to grieve on her self-reflection, thinking back to the friends she had lost over the years, Master Fu reminded himself of his own mistakes, who tuned his head away to try and not be seen. Even Wayzz, who wasn't even the focus of the meeting, grew weak from empathizing with both his partner and fellow kwamis.

Marinette felt tormented as well, but for different reasons. She didn't know what Kuumo had seen or how losing Nooroo affected him, she didn't know what choices Master Fu made in in the past, but what really got her was that she didn't even know how Tikki really felt about all of it. All Marinette could do was give sympathy to her partner, who had just said she would risk her life for her.

"Ladybug!" Kuumo said with a risen voice.

Marinette had hoped that she was forgotten, so hearing her hero name came as a surprise, particularly since she had her thoughts elsewhere.

"I'll give Tikki the benefit of the doubt and assume you're actually a decent human. You do have an impressive reputation after all." Kuumo praised, which was arguably the least expected thing for him to do. "But understand that I'm only doing what I think is right for my friends, and as it stands, you are an obstacle. I hope you will eventually make the right choice and aid us."

As Kuumo had finished saying what he had on his mind, and no one having anything else they even anted to say to him, the bull kwami flew up and made his way to the door. Without needing a signal, Kuumo's miraculous holder got up from his seat to make his exit.

"Thank you for your time." The young man said, bowing down his head to Master Fu as a sign of respect, something Kuumo never did.

Everyone wanted to speak up and stop Kuumo, but without any clear answers to his questions, all they could do was watch him exit Master Fu's shop, leaving their future with him uncertain. Master Fu would've loved to stop him, but because it couldn't be done without a pointless and unpredictable fight, the best thing to do for the time being was to let him leave.

"Master, what should we do?" Wayzz asked.

Fu let out a pained sigh, then spoke up with little confidence. "Marinette, I'm sorry that you had to witness all of that. You'd best be heading home."

"But what about that Kwami? And that guy? Can we really..." Marinette had concerns, but was cut off quickly.

"Leave him to me. He's my problem." Fu said in a frustrated tone. He tried to stay calm, but with so many mixed feelings, he didn't know how to properly convey them. "I'll figure it out, Marinette. I'll...I'll think of something."

With so much on Fu's mind, he didn't find it appropriate to say much more to Marinette, lest he scare her or the kwamis anymore. He felt as though he needed to be left alone, he said nothing more and walked out of the room to think over the situation. Ironically, by saying nothing else to Marinette, it made her more worried for the old man.

Wayzz would go on to speak with Fu, but not before addressing the last of the guests. "I'm sorry, girls. But you two really should leave for now. I'm sure we'll all figure something out together once Master calms down."

With morale so low, Marinette didn't feel any more confident in Wayzz's claim as Fu himself. After an otherwise good day as superhero, the possible threat of Kuumo's wrath made her worried about what would happen to the kwamis more than ever. Ideally, she would like to try and make friends with Kuumo and his miraculous holder. Whether that could happen or not was something she was willing to fight for.

"By the way, should I be worried that one of you guys caused The Plague?" Marinette asked Tikki.

"One concern at a time, Marinette. One concern at a time."